Follow Focus
by Mslead
Summary: Fairy Tail is the worlds most recognized art residency and Lucy Heartfilia managed to obtain her dream of making her way through its front doors. Quickly she runs into Foundry Expert Natsu Dragneel and despite their opposing fields become friends. With the Iron Pouring tournament on its way, will love burn between them, or simmer on charred coals? (Illustrations on tumblr) NALU
1. Gajeel's Sculpture Pro tips

_**AN: Illustrations accompany this fic. That is why this seems very short.**_

Fairy Tail was an exclusive Art Residence program. Artists from all across the country gathered in one place for three years to churn out work. The program was acclaimed for being responsible for training big name artists. The Dreyer's the Strauss's and even world renown artist Gildarts Clive all came from the Fairy Tail Residency.

Now Lucy Heartfilia, a photographer who had just attained her dream of joining it, stood at the doors of the impressive sculpture studio. She already went through the tour of Painting, Printmaking, Ceramics, Graphic arts, Drawing, and of course Photography. Sculpture was last on her list to visit.

For good reason.

The sculpture studio was loud. Even from upstairs, Lucy could hear the banging of metal against metal, the grinding of drills, and the screeching of something heavy being dragged across the floor. It never stopped for even a moment, the noises ringing throughout the studio, bustling and adding to the extra noise. Everyone she passed seemed unaffected by the noise, so she assumed they had grown accustomed to it.

Standing outside the large sectioned off area, Lucy spotted a sheet of paper hanging on the door. It appeared to be a set of rules for working and visiting the studio.

**_GAJEEL'S SCULPTURE PRO TIPS — IE: MY WORD IS LAW._**

**1\. You are never too cool for safety goggles, a respirator, or ear protection. I don't care how fucking stupid it makes you look. Put the shit on or get out of my shop.**

**2\. If you come in my studio with open toed shoes, I'm dropping a ball pen hammer or an anvil on your foot and watching you limp your ass to the hospital. Depends on my mood. Count on the anvil.**

**3\. If you come in my studio in a tank top and skirt, I'm sitting you next to the welder and grinder. Burn for all I care.**

**4\. The exacto knife points _away_ from you dumbass. **

**5\. In case of fire, _do not get Natsu_. It is safer to let the shop go up in flames.**  
_(directly underneath this is a scribbled 'Natsu **YES**')_

**6\. The foundry is not a giant litter box. Get your cats to quit shittin' in it.**

**7\. The kiln is not a safe place to hide the kittens you think I don't know about. …Stick 'em under the sandblaster.**

**8\. I know my 'feminine' delicacies sometimes confuse ya, but I ain't yer mother. Pick up yer damn leathers and hang 'em up when you're done with them. Otherwise I'll use 'em to line Lily's new bed under the blaster. That means quit strippin' them off when we turn our heads Fullbuster.**

**9\. No Paint is allowed down the drains. If you wanna wash your brushes, hit up the painting studio. Not like they're doin' anything productive up there anywa—**  
_(the rest of this has been trailed off, the writing becoming illegible)_

**10\. If ya try to run anything through our saws that aren't styrofoam, wood, metal or cardboard, I'm running your hand through the blade. No waxes, plasters, or anything glued.**

Lucy Heartfilia stared at the list and the many, many complaints/rules accumulated there. It was all very intimidating. Lucy didn't even know if she wanted to go in anymore after seeing all the potential for bodily harm. Then, under the last number, someone had hastily scrawled in an additional rule. It was done with a different ink, and it was someone other than this 'Gajeel' person.

'Natsu' if Lucy had to guess.

**11\. Come on in, we love to help you figure out your projects! Sculpture may rock way harder than whatever you jerks do, but we won't rub it in your face too much!**

A smile worked its way over Lucy's face. She double checked to see if she was dressed appropriately and pushed the heavy metal door to Fairy Tail's sculpture studio open. The camera she carried was clutched to her chest, a smile widening over her face. Maybe this other guy wrote that rule in to soften the blow of Gajeel's list. Maybe he did it just to annoy the shop tech.

Lucy didn't know why, but she wanted to meet him.

Dragging up her bravery, Lucy stepped inside to meet the infamous Dragons of Fairy Tail.


	2. Coffee and Sundresses

_**AN: The chapters of this will be shorter than other stories. I have illustrations between paragraphs on my tumblr. **_

Natsu really hated working in wood. It burned too easily when he ran it through the saw and the dust clogged up his nose. One time he spent an entire day sneezing out chunks of mahogany because he forgot to wear a respirator. That was the last time he forgot it in his car.

He also hated working in wood because it was time spent out of the foundry. The fire from the furnace and the boiling metal was where he felt most at home. But the new girl from photography wanted some oak boards ripped, and there was no way he was going to let her near the table saw to do it herself. Not that it was hard, but they called the table saw the 'steed of the apocalypse' for a reason. The thing was a monster, and the kickback if you didn't cut the wood right was strong enough to blow holes in the wall.

It wasn't the most glamorous of jobs, but sculpture often did favors for the other departments. Despite the perpetual complaining they all did over one another's oddball practices, trading favors was currency in the art world. He hoped Levy's heart would soften enough to let him sleep in the darkroom again.

Natsu finished pushing the Oak through the spinning blade, careful to keep his arm free. His foot jabbed the safety pedal, waiting with no small amount of impatience for the saw to come to a stop. He shoved the wooden panel to the end of the table, just as a leather clad hand dropped what appeared to be a coffee cup on the opposite side of the saw.

Gajeel, the shop tech and Natsu's cousin, was the owner of the hand. Suspicion clouded Natsu's face, a feeling of unease trickling down his spine at the surprising offering.

"Poison?" He asked, voice coming muffled through his respirator.

Natsu finished pushing the Oak through the spinning blade, careful to keep his arm free. His foot jabbed the safety pedal, waiting with no small amount of impatience for the saw to come to a stop. He shoved the wooden panel to the end of the table, just as a leather clad hand dropped what appeared to be a coffee cup on the opposite side of the saw.

Gajeel, the shop tech and Natsu's cousin, was the owner of the hand. Suspicion clouded Natsu's face, a feeling of unease trickling down his spine at the surprising offering.

"Poison?" He asked, voice coming muffled through his respirator.

He wasn't even listening to Gajeel.

Natsu had turned his gaze over towards where the Luigi chick was standing. If his mouth hadn't already been dry from breathing in sawdust, he would have had that happen to him. She wore a light yellow sundress with a lacy white trim. White ballet flat shoes were delicate and thin on her feet. Gajeel was right not to let her in, but…

Wow.

That was the girl Natsu was cutting boards for?

As if feeling his gaze on her, she turned towards him. Long blond hair flowed from a side pony on her head, large brown eye meeting his stare. Her face lit into a smile, a rosy color dusting her cheeks as she waved at him. She seemed happy he received her gift of coffee.

His heart did an odd flip in his chest, a rush of heat rising to his cheeks.

Maybe woodwork wasn't so bad after all. Cutting out a few picture frames for her wouldn't be so bad. Maybe even next time he could talk to her.

He jerked a bit when Gajeel let loose a quiet 'gihi.' Before Natsu could say anything to him, his cousin was gone. Already he was muttering about having to replace the gears in the mixer.

Natsu lifted his hand back in greeting to the photographer, divided by the line marking the studio. He smiled under his respirator.

He had a few frames to make.


	3. The Circles of HELL

Natsu had to admit that he outdid himself this time. Granted, he didn't often hang anything on a wall, but he was experienced enough in stretching canvases for Erza that he was confident in his ability. Still the quality was pretty good even by his standards. Standards which were set at a very high level.

Dirty boots made their way up three flights of stairs. The further up he went, the cleaner the building became. Further away from the influence of Sculpture and Ceramics, away from wood shavings and carbon dust. He almost laughed at how much of a dark stain he looked against white hallways and clean lines.

Sculpture and Ceramics dominated the lower levels. The Lowest Circle of Hell, as other artists referred to it.

With love no doubt.

Then the second floor was Painting, Printmaking and drawing. This was the Inferno, ruled by the devil she-beast Erza. The woman could wield a paintbrush like a sword, swinging it in deadly patterns that knew with precision-like accuracy where all Natsu's tender spots were.

Finally on the first floor was where all the digital arts resided. Graphic Design, Photography, and Animation. He toggled through his phone's directory, frames and backing boards tucked under one arm.

It wasn't often he came to **_Heaven_**.

Gajeel was up here almost as often as he was in the Sculpture Studio. Which was saying something. He was a dark, hulking shadow that stood out like rust on metal.

Natsu snorted as he located the room he was searching for, setting a hand on the door. Gajeel was a sucker for Levy, the top level tech. Where Gajeel was the dragon that ruled Hell and Erza was the fairy with dominion over Earth — well that left Heaven for the angels.

Well speaking of angels…

The moment Natsu pushed the door open to the darkened photography room, he knew he was in trouble. Lights off in a studio meant one thing, and when he stopped just inside the threshold of the photography studio his suspicions were confirmed.

Levy was sitting naked on the floor of the studio, staring at him as if he had grown a second head. And next to her…

Shit.

Next to her was the Luigi girl, a camera raised in front of her face and also staring at Natsu as if he had lost complete control of his mind.

Well.

This was going well.

"WHOOPS" Natsu coughed into the dead silence. His face burned with embarrassment. Not because he was staring at his cousin's girlfriend's naked body. They could deny _that_ all they wanted, he knew better.

Nah.

Well maybe a little.

But it was mostly because he had barged in without reading the signs plastered all over the doors. What was he, an undergrad making a rookie mistake like that again? Somewhere along the line he had dropped the frames from out of numb hands.

"NATSU!" Levy shrieked.

The blond woman, stared at him. She looked torn between ripping his hat off and stuffing it down his throat, or strangling him with his bandana. Neither option sounded appetizing to Natsu.

"What're you doing here? Didn't you see the notice on the door?" Lucy tossed Levy a sheet to drape over herself.

"What sign?" Natsu tried as Levy scrambled for a sheet to cover herself with. He pointed at the door, "Oh you mean this one? No."

He saw Lucy's eye twitch, and decided he should leave before all of his body parts remained intact.

"Listen I won't hold you guys up," He flashed them a grin, pushing his embarrassment down to the soles of his feet, "I just wanted to drop these frames off and thank you for the coffee. It was a huge help!"

At his thanks, Lucy stared at Levy, and then back at him. She slung her camera over her head and across her chest. A few steps across the studio and she was in front of him. Natsu noticed Photography was much smaller than Sculpture. He wondered how they did it all…

Or he would have if Lucy wasn't smiling at him.

"No no, thanks a lot! I only wanted backing boards cut, but you made the frames too! That's a huge help" The smile he was rewarded with made his humiliation all worth it. It was bright and warm. Natsu matched the light in her smile watt-for-watt.

"Wow! The quality is really good too!" Lucy's impressed voice made its way to his brain and Natsu almost **_preened_** at the compliment.

Oh jeez. What was wrong with him.

"Hey any time. Come by Sculpture sometime and I'll show you how to do it yourself!" Natsu offered, setting his hand on the door knob. He nodded to Levy in goodbye.

"I see you're busy here though, so come by when you're clear," Natsu turned, swinging the door shut behind him. He lifted his hand in goodbye, catching one look at Lucy's face before he left. The room was still very dark, so he wondered if he might have imagined the blush on her face.

Still… Wishful thinking.

Lucy watched the sculptor leave, his boots leaving ashy filaments and metal shavings in his wake. Her heart thumped as she collected the rest of the frames he dropped in his surprise.

The first thing Lucy noticed about Natsu was not the fact he burst into the room like a brute, but it was the sharpness of his eyes. Then it was his smile. His eyes were deeply intense and focused, but the strength of his smile caused everything else to fall to the background.

He was handsome.

It was a fact Lucy was aware of when she went to visit the studio the other day but had been turned away due to the dress code. She caught sight of him from the open door. The table saw was positioned directly in front of it after all…

He hadn't been looking at her at the time, but Lucy had taken a good look at him when he worked. On her project.

At the time most of his face was obscured by his respirator. But the clever glint to his eyes, even hidden behind safety goggles, was clear for her to see.

She was broken from her thoughts by Levy clearing her throat.

"Uh, Lu? The door is still open," Levy shifted the sheet across her, wrapping it around her shoulders. Lucy jumped and began to swing it shut the rest of the way where Natsu had left it half open.

"Oh sorry! I guess I was a little distracted by our visitor," Lucy apologized, holding her camera back to her chest. Half expecting a scolding from her friend, Lucy whipped around instead when Levy purred.

_"You looooooove him."_


	4. LEVY'S PHOTOGRAPHY 'PROTIPS'

Lunch with the guys from Sculpture was always an eventful affair. Natsu remembered one time Sting got a chicken wing lodged in his ear. He still wasn't sure how it happened, but everyone told him he was the one to blame. Natsu still wasn't convinced, but by the way Sting always ducked every time he came near him with so much as a turkey leg there could be some truth to what he said.

They headed back into Fairy Tail after eating at 8-Island. Yajima was a close friend of the Dreyer family which ran the foundation, so they got to eat at a discounted rate. Considering the massive appetites of both Gajeel and Natsu, that was a great benefit to them.

"So what's with you and the new chick from Photo?" Gray asked Natsu, drawing his attention. On the way past the Notice/Request board, art was scattered around them. They passed tall drawings that stretched from floor to ceiling, and massive strips of canvas loaded with oil paints. The building was crammed full of art people put on display for everyone to look at on their way to their respective studios, "She's been coming down to our level a lot. Button pushers don't usually venture further south than Printmaking."

"Huh? Ya mean Lucy?" Natsu returned the question, he ignored the slang Gray used for photography. Every department had a 'nickname' of sorts. Ceramics were mudslingers, Photographers were button pushers, so on and so forth.

He lifted one tattooed shoulder, slinging his arms behind his head, "Nothing. Just helpin' her with her frames. She likes to figure out how to do stuff herself."

Disbelief colored Gray's face. The man didn't look convinced by Natsu's explanation, somehow sensing his fellow sculptor was being deliberate in his evasiveness. Before he could further question Natsu, a grunt came from behind them.

"Oy," Gajeel muttered from behind them, "Check this out."

Natsu hadn't even noticed Gajeel had hung back. A white shirt was slung over his shoulder, discarded by Gray as they walked. No doubt Gajeel was planning on tossing it into the pen they built for their stray kittens. They had a comfortable nest under the sandblaster, but they were missing a few toys. Everytime Gray stripped himself of an article of clothing, Gajeel considered it a donation to contribute to the toy-building process of their cats which was explanation enough on why he lingered. The burly man had a soft spot for kittens the size of Canada.

Edging over to Gajeel, Natsu peered over his shoulder to see what had caught his cousin's eye. They were standing in front of the request board, the three of them shoulder to shoulder as they looked at the new notice.

_**Levy's Photography 'Protips' – IE: A Letter to the Jerks in Sculpture and General Studio Housekeeping.**_

Natsu_ snorted_ in laughter, mimicking his cousin's odd sounding laughter.

"Looks like Levy decided to make a list like yours," Gray said, amused.

"Damn shrimp." Still his eyes moved over the paper, interested in the content despite the growls vibrating in the back of his throat. So distracted was he, Gajeel didn't notice Gray sliding his shirt back on.

**1.) The Darkroom is not a place to take a nap and escape from the noise. I don't care how hung over or tired you are. We keep explosive chemicals back here and some of you have a reputation around fire.**

**2.) Please read the door to make sure there is no 'nude modeling' signs posted. The sign up sheet for sessions are on the door. KNOCK before entering if the doors are closed. 'Whoops' is not a valid response.**

Natsu let out a loud whoop of laughter.

**3.) The revolving door of the Darkroom is not a toy. If I catch you spinning around in it like a cracked-out child at Christmas, I will eject you into the timeout corner. It's under the old printer and it has the total square space of a single foot. Enjoy.**

**4.) If for some reason Rule 3 is ignored and certain motion sick fools find they are in desperate need to vomit, the film canisters are not sickbags. At least use the sink for goddsake.**

**5.) Please don't plug in the light board and heating press at the same time. It will cause a short, which blows out power to the entire top level. If you make me have to go down to Hell for your mess up and face the fury of Laxus to get the breaker working for us again, I will be very unhappy.**

**6.) To whoever keeps putting their dead goldfish in the Fix. Please STOP. I know we save it because I said I wanted to save some of the wildlife which remained in the local rivers, but putting your deceased pets in the fix are not going to make me change my mind.**

**7.) The chemicals for film are not a Do-It-Yourself chemistry kit. Listen to me. You are not a mad scientist, and this is not your laboratory. Put a pin in it Dr. Frankenstein.**

**8.) I know the safety lights in the darkroom look good. But changing them to party lights or even worse – black lights is prohibited. No one really wants to see the stains on the walls again, do they?**

**9.) The studio closes at 2am unless you are accompanied by a shop tech. Those who are found hiding in the cabinets to escape notice will be fed to Gajeel.**

Mad giggling could be heard all the way in Graphic Design at that rule. Natsu shot a look over his shoulder at Gajeel's flustered scowl. He was at a loss for what to say, but everyone knew he was secretly pleased he was being used as a threat. Gajeel could be an intimidating bastard if you didn't realize he had a soft spot for kittens.

**10.) All nude models will remain behind the closed doors of the studio. The janitors keep complaining about having to pick up loose clothing off light fixtures. On an unrelated note, Gray, we have a few things in the Lost and Found for you.**

Natsu leaned against Gajeel as they both roared with laughter, the two sculptors collapsing in on themselves and falling into hysterics over the notice. Gray's face burned red in embarrassment, his shirt already unbuttoned and hanging loose around his shoulders.

"Look who got called out!" Natsu crowed, throwing his head back and laughing obnoxiously. Oh, some of these were great though. He owed Levy a huge one for this.

Gray, who had been thumping his forehead against the request board, and thus the notice itself, whipped around to glare at Natsu, "Shut up Lava breath! You missed the last one! You're getting called out too!"

"What, you wanna go princess!" Natsu demanded, cramming his face back into Gray's personal space. Always willing to jump into a fight, he rose eager to the challenge his fellow sculptor presented.

At least until he figured out what Gray was talking about. The previous rules had hinted at his involvement pretty heavily even if they hadn't listed him by name. Still, he was interested in what Gray was talking about.

**11.) Breech of these codes requires one cup of coffee as payment for emotional and physical damages.**

The eleventh rule was written in neat handwriting. Large and well printed, the letters fell in curly lines that were light against the paper. They contrasted well against the writing that came before it. Written by a different person. Written by her.

Luigi.

Yeah he was still going to call her that in his head.

He recognized the different handwriting when she signed her name in the tool checkout sheet down in Hell. Lucy's handwriting was one of the most recognizable across the board. And she had added a note to the end of Levy's list, just like Natsu graffitied Gajeel's notice.

"He ripped the paper off the board," Gray observed in amusement, having tossed his shirt further down the hallway again.

"Gray, your clothes," Gajeel sighed tiredly.

Natsu paid them no mind. One thing was certain. Lucy was calling him out.

A slow grin worked over his face.

He couldn't wait to oblige her.


	5. Let's Get HOT

Lucy walked into the Sculpture studio carting behind her the frames Natsu had cut for her and a cart of raw supplies for the project she was working on. Since he was the one sculptor she actually knew, she was hoping to get his advice on coating her photos with resin. In all her other projects she had never tried to print on material other than photo paper. Now that she was a part of the Fairy Tail organization, she wanted her art to evolve.

Plain Photography wasn't going to cut it any longer. She had to expand her horizons, and the best way to do that was to study the other disciplines. Starting with the subject supposedly the most contrary to what she was used to. Sculpture.

She headed into the studio, sliding past Gajeel. She was wearing short sleeves and her hair was in pigtails today, but she knew he would scowl at her for something or another.

Locating Natsu in the cacophony of noise that was the studio, Lucy decided to venture to whatever section was the loudest. That was more than likely a safe bet. The studio was filled with metal and the sound of screeching gears. Carbon dust filtered across the floor, heavy enough to drop down and swirl in strange patterns against cement.

The roar of the ventilation system was drowned out by the blaring speakers of a dusty and beat up old boom box that looked like it came straight out of the eighties. Lucy cringed as she protected her ringing ears from the music, so loud she could barely make out words. All she knew was some Iron Maiden was being played loud enough she wanted to throw herself into the ancient equivalent of that torture trap.

She passed a crescent wrench dangling from the ceiling. A hole was drilled through the base of the tool and a heavy chain link was cut and welded to the space it freed. Lucy blinked at it, not understanding why a tool was hanging from the ceiling, but walked past it into the welding studio.

A tuft of pink hair under a dark blue welders cap told her precisely where Natsu was. The man was pushing a heavy half-inch plate of metal on a dolly, a welders helmet strapped over his face. Today he wasn't wearing the jumpsuit she had grown used to seeing him wear, but instead had a shirt on that said 'Let's Make it _**HOT**_' in bold letters. It suited him.

Behind him a blond welder was working away. Neither had noticed Lucy's presence until she stood in Natsu's path.

Lucy shielded her eyes as the light of the welder burned through the air. Yellow sparks came from the grinding and the plasma cutter, but the welding itself let off a blue, almost white light. That was what really had Lucy shielding her eyes in pain.

When Natsu caught sight of Lucy, he stopped everything he was doing and grabbed a nearby slab of spare metal, slamming it against the plate he was pushing. At once the welding stopped, as did the plasma cutter. Only the grinders continued working, but the light from their tools didn't bother her.

It made sense all of a sudden why that wrench was hanging outside the door to the welding room now. With as loud as it was, catching someones attention was tough.

Natsu slid his helmet off his head, his welding cap getting stuck inside the straps. He dropped his thumb into the waistband of his jeans, his gloved hand hooking up from the hem of his shirt and drawing it up to press at his hot face.

He rolled it up to collect the sweat rolling down his temples. Lucy felt very hot, as if it just became obvious to her how warm it was in the welding room. The room temperature wasn't responsible for Lucy's sudden spike in body temperature though. No.

That was Natsu's fault.

Looking at him on his own, she was able to tell the man was very physically fit. His arms were often exposed, giving Lucy a divine look at his biceps and shoulders. The man was a gift, whether he knew that or not. And getting a peek under his shirt for a few seconds…

He had the body of statues she studied in art history.

Thank every divine entity for sculpture.

"Hey Lucy," Natsu grinned at her, releasing his hold on his shirt and letting it fall back down to his waist, "Feeling daring today I see."

He slid off his gloves, unrolled the sleeve he wore underneath them and tossed them to her.

"Kevlar sleeves, that should stop spray sparks from hitting ya," Natsu said as explanation. Lucy wanted to protest the idea, because what would he have to protect his arms should something happen?

Her mouth clamped shut a second later when he tugged his welding gloves back on, not looking concerned in the slightest. Reluctant to this course of action, Lucy pulled the sleeves on so Natsu wouldn't be distracted trying to keep an eye on her.

Looking around, Lucy watch Natsu trying to come up with something else to protect her with. It was almost sweet he was looking out for her like this. Especially since if Gajeel spotted her, he would make her take a safety test first.

She squeaked at the feel of a hot and sweaty hat, two sizes too big, dropping on her head. She looked at Natsu in wordless confusion, his hand tugging on the brim of the hat.

"You don't want your hair to burn do ya?" He asked her. Pulling forward, he managed to drag Lucy towards him by a fraction with the brim of the cap.

"What about you?" Lucy tried, peering at Natsu from under the hat. It was way too large for her to handle, but for some reason it made her happy it was entrusted to her.

The Dragon of Sculpture threw his head back and laughed. Lucy had to remember to ask him why he was named that, but… later. He had a distracting smile.

"Shorter hair," He tugged at a pink lock of hair as explanation.

He grasped her Kevlar covered arm and tugged her from the welding studio, the lights from the tools dimming and the sound growing distant. Everything was still so warm. The sleeves she was wearing, they carried the scent of smoke and acetylene. But his body heat clung to the articles he lent her.

The hat slid over her eyes and Natsu chuckled, muttering something under his breath she couldn't catch.

"So what can I help you with Lucy?" The man asked, leaning back on a table. His eyes drew down to the grate she carried behind her. Many of them were small photographs, but there were a few large pieces. Lucy hid a smile, knowing the sculpture was interested despite himself.

He might claim Sculpture was the best field of study, but there was no denying he had a soft spot for the other areas too. Every artist liked to see one another's work. It was like their kryptonite.

"I need to cover these photos in resin but I don't know how," Lucy admitted, missing the wild gleam of joy that crossed Natsu's face.

When she turned back to him and saw he had gotten his hands on a blow torch though, it quickly became clear to her he was excited.

Where had he even gotten that torch so quickly?

"Resin you say?" Natsu cackled, staring into the blue flame he had drawn out to his side. Lucy took a moment to admire the way the light and shadows played out over his face. She was torn between fear and amusement.

Although it was a pretty safe bet to say both reactions were acceptable.

"Yeah," Lucy responded, watching him paw through her belongings to find the resin, "I don't need anything too fancy, so uh, why did you bring out a blow torch?"

"Why does everyone nervous when I pull one of these out? Doesn't**_everyone_** carry a torch in their back pocket?"

"No actually. Most people chose normal hobbies. Like sports and choir."

Natsu just shrugged at her, his grin going even wider, "Well most people sound boring."

He waved the torch through the air and Lucy swallowed hard at the arc of fire it left behind. She had a feeling Gajeel might have had a point when he referred to Natsu and fire on his tip sheets.

"I'll give you a hand with this," Natsu cut off the torch and approached her, his eyes soft but very distracting. The man was encroaching in her personal space faster than anyone else she knew would have even tried. Her heart hammered in excitement, "But you know the rules right?"

"Rules?" Lucy repeated the question, eyes wide. Holding very close to Natsu, she couldn't help but notice the slant of his eyes, the disheveled way his hair fell over much of his face. He really was handsome. Even if he was a little dirty, his smile made her breath catch.

A slow lazy grin worked over Natsu's face and he nodded at her.

"Payment of course," Natsu grinned at her as if it were obvious. His eyes dropped to her face, resting low against her bottom lip, "I help you out, you help me out. Deal?"

Oh.

"Deal," Lucy managed a smile at the pyromaniac. But Natsu was already backing up and inspecting the resin she collected, "What do you want?"

A flare of frustration worked through Lucy as Natsu put on a good show about making a decision. He tapped a finger to his chin, his foot thumping against the cold floor, his booted heel coming against the ground.

"Tell ya what," He purred to her, "I'll let you know when I want to cash that favor in."

The smile he gave Lucy was almost fiendish, but she found herself nodding along anyway.

Just what had she agreed to?


	6. Blank Rolls

**_AN: REMINDER - This goes with illustrations on tumblr. You can find a link to my fic page in my profile. My screen name is Mslead_**

Lucy sagged in disappointment as her third roll of film came out completely blank. Not a single image printed in even one frame. Failure encroached on her in a wave and she didn't know what to do to make herself feel any better. She messed up. A beginners mistake too. One she should have known better. And now she wasted twelve dollars along with a huge chunk of her time processing empty film canisters.

As usual, she didn't hear the approach of her friend in Sculpture until he was right on her. Lucy shrieked when he leaned over her shoulder, a stray elbow flying out to nail him right in the face.

Natsu let out a girlish sounding screech himself, more shocked by her attack than injured. Mostly in thanks to the weird alien-like contraption he had strapped on his face. It was definitely one of his weirder looking respirators. Pancake filters were screwed on both sides of a heavy plastic breathing apparatus. Over his eyes a large face shield took the place of safety goggles and protected him from stray shards of metal — or elbows.

"Jeez Lucy!" Natsu exclaimed, giving her a wounded look and taking a large step away from her, "What was that for!"

Lucy cringed at the kicked puppy dog expression on Natsu's face, until she remembered the brat probably walked up here with the single minded purpose of scaring her with that stupid face shield on.

"Oh, like you're telling me you didn't deserve it?" Lucy asked with short patience, her hand still clenched around the clear, wet ribbon in her hand.

The motion caught Natsu's attention and he pulled the shield off his face, dragging his hat off into his left hand and pulling his fingers through his hair. His eyes remained locked on Lucy though.

"Eh, so what is that thing you've got your hands on?" He asked.

Lucy was so distracted, she barely realized Natsu was actually wearing his flight suit properly for the first time since she met him. Usually he wore it with the sleeves tied around his waist and a beater on underneath. He was starting to work the collar loose as he stared at her.

What was he up to down in Hell?

His question dragged her attention back down to the failed project in her hands and she sighed.

"It's a roll of film I didn't process right," Lucy grumbled.

"I don't get what I did wrong!" Lucy said with sudden heat. It startled Natsu enough to drop his face shield with a clatter to the floor. The photographer wasn't paying any attention though.

"I loaded it in the camera right, the conditions were perfect, and I timed the processing exactly!" She protested the results that laid in her hands. Tears stung at her eyes, and if she was paying attention, she would have noticed the horrified expression on Natsu's face.

"I wanted to use this roll to stay in Fairy Tail another year," Lucy murmured, finally getting to the crux of the problem, "I love it here."

There were some artists, who were already well known and talented in the art world, that such residencies like Fairy Tail, made permanent members. Members like the infamous Dragons of Fairy Tail, or the fearsome Titania.

If she was paying closer attention, she would have notice Natsu's expression morphing into something closer to concern and worry.

"Well that's no big deal!" Natsu said instead. The outburst was sudden and explosive, louder than their conversation had been.

Lucy looked up in surprise at his surprise announcement. He pointed towards the exit and a large grin spread over his face.

"Come on Lucy! Grab your camera! We're going to go out and shoot now!" He laughed at the dumbstruck expression on her face.

In truth she could hardly believe was she was hearing. He was a Sculptor and he wanted to help her get the work she lost? Shock set in for a moment, confusion and disbelief plain on her face.

"Wait… what?"

Lucy actually let out a shriek, her hands flailing around when suddenly Natsu squatted in front of her, his arms wrapping around her legs and yanking her up through the air. It was like she weighed nothing with how effortless it was for him to pick her up.

"Camera, shooting, then we can get some food!" Natsu adjusted themselves around her legs. He shifted his weight along with Lucy's flailing movements so she wouldn't drag him all over the place, and she had to say she was impressed by his ability to adapt so fast.

So there she was, a grown woman, piggy back riding Natsu, who looked unconcerned with everything. The man laughed loud, a bright, clear sound that had Lucy's spirits rising.

"We'll do it together, how's that?" Natsu asked her with a wide smile.

Finally, Lucy returned the grin.

"Together."


	7. Puppet War

Lucy was absolutely horrified when she made it to Fairy Tail in the morning. Last night she had left Natsu in the sculpture studio, buried elbow deep in a rubber mold and a dismissive grunt which showed how focused he was on his task.

Now when she returned there was an art war breaking out straight across the entire art residency hall.

"JUVIA IS NOT A PUDDLE!" The ceramics major shrieked, throwing a ball of clay at Gajeel, who narrowly avoided getting up close and personal with the sticky terricotta.

"BRING IT ON MUDSLINGERS, YOU AIN'T GOT NOTHIN' ON SCULPTURE!" Natsu roared back challengingly, a crazed smile on his sleep deprived face.

Oh no.

Just what the hell happened in the time it took for her to go home, sleep, and take a shower. Whatever happened, it somehow sparked an interdisciplinary battle stretching from the bowels of sculpture up to the pristine rows of Graphic Designers.

She looked over at the sand pit and saw a familiar hand struggling underneath a mound of sand.

Levy!?

On top of her stood three kittens, who were using the sandpit as a comfortable nest, effectively trapping the photographer underneath.

Oh no. What had these idiots done?!

She rushed over to help her friend, dodging chunks of clay and wadded up paper. She spun to avoid Erza, who was hurtling towards them at mach speed with a palette strapped to her chest like a breast plate.

At the woman's approach to try and cause order in the panic, it just caused the Sculptors to scatter in terror and regroup, Natsu and Gray's screaming the loudest.

Just when Lucy managed to shoo the cats off Levy and pull her free from her sandy prison, she was certain the entire building was going to go up in flames at this rate.

Luckily, someone else thought the same.

"THAT'S ENOUGH YOU BRATS!" Roared a voice Lucy had only heard a handful of times.

There, standing at the doorway of the studio was the diminutive man who owned the building. Makarov Dreyer.

Immediately, all flailing ceased in an instant.

The man, despite his miniature size, seemed to tower over them all.

"You all break out in a fight between disciplines at least once every two months, and that is unacceptable," Makarov rumbled, "What sparked it this time? Did sculpture swipe a heat gun from Ceramics? Did Drawing use all the guache from painting? Or perhaps did Printmaking take the emulsion from Photography?"

The artists all quieted down like scolded children, even Natsu, who was still in one of Erza's headlocks.

"That is not what Fairy Tail is about," Makarov rumbled, his voice a thundercloud giving way to a storm, "So I'm putting a stop to it. Here and now."

"As of now, we will be starting an Interdisciplinary Challenge! Once a month, you will partner up with someone for the entire year to _collaborate_ on an art piece!" Makarov ordered, "One 3D Artist for every 2D artist!"

"Choose wisely! You will be with that person for the rest of the year!"

Before Lucy realized it, Natsu's gaze had zeroed in on her. His eyes, still sharp despite his sleep deprivation, glinted in amusement. He slid out from under Erza's arm in a second and he flung his arm around Lucy's shoulder.

"No sweat gramps! Got my partner right here, and we're going to crush the competition!" Natsu grinned with vicious pride.

"Wait– me– wha?" Lucy stammered as she was pulled firmly against Natsu's side. A flush worked over her cheeks as she wiggled against him, but his grip only seemed to tighten on her.

"Well I certainly hope so," Makarov said in amusement to Natsu's boasts, "Because the team with the poorest design…"

His eyes glinted, "_Punishment Game_."

Lucy swore the temperature in the residency plummeted. Even Natsu looked terrified.

"Your challenge is to create a puppet using only supplies found in your local hardware store," Makarov shouted, the air growing tense. Lucy felt Natsu's body shift next to her and his arm shift down around her waist.

Wait was he getting ready to run?

Lucy found out a second later when Makarov raised his hand.

"You have fifty dollars and 48 hours!" He shouted, "**_GO_**!"

The ground disappeared under Lucy's face as Natsu hefted her over his shoulder like she was a sack of flour. He sprinted with her over her shoulder, causing her to lose all the air in her lungs, and she barely managed to catch sight of Levy flailing over Gajeel.

**_Was this a thing?!_**

"Natsu let me go!" Lucy wheezed, her hands grabbing a handful of the back of his shirt as she was bounced around on his shoulder. Where did he have this kind of energy to just lift her up and haul her around like this?

"Sorry Lucy! No can do! We gotta get to my truck before Gajeel can!" Natsu's breath came out a bit labored as he pivoted and jumped over obstacles in an impressive display of athleticism. Especially considering he hadn't slept at all the night before.

"Why does it matter!" Lucy shouted, "Why can't we take my car? There is plenty of room!"

She discovered the answer for herself soon enough when they made it outside the residency hall just in time to see a cackling Gajeel drive off in a rusty red truck.

Natsu swore, and set Lucy down a second later. He panted, supporting himself on his knees and glaring at the smoke trail Gajeel left behind.

"I never should have let that bastard have the keys," He grumbled.

Lucy rubbed her sore stomach and smacked Natsu's shoulder in irritation, "A little warning would have been nice!"

It soon became clear just why he wanted to drive when she finally managed to wrestle Natsu into her car. Because for whatever reason, he resisted the idea with such painful whining, she thought she was causing him legitimate agony.

Turns out, the Salamander of Fairy Tail had terrible motion sickness when he couldn't drive.

A family trait as it turned out, because Gajeel was the same way. Halfway through the ride he stripped out of his outer layer to leave himself in his tank top. He set it on his lap.

To catch the vomit he said.

Lucy hoped it wouldn't come to that.

So it was with great comfort when they pulled up to the local hardware store and color began to return to his face.

It was like new life pounded back into his body. The enthusiasm in which he dragged Lucy through the hardware store was almost contagious. Lucy didn't even complain when Natsu convinced her to sit in the cart to speed things along.

At least she hadn't complained until he started to drive the damn thing, scooting it along aisles at such high speeds she was certain they were going to crash into a fixture.

He twisted the cart through a maze he seemed to know well.

"Come on Lucy! Grab what you want!" He called out, a wide grin on his face and his fist punching the air in front of him, "We ATTACK!"

"Natsu slow down!" Lucy shrieked, but was somehow caught up in his shenanigans as she broke out into laughter a moment later.

It turned out that shopping with Natsu was not as painful as an ordeal as she thought. Although she was certain that at any moment they were going to be kicked from the store. They had fun though, scooting along the aisles and planning the supplies they needed for under fifty dollars.

By the time they returned to the studio, they had somehow managed to burn away a good chunk of their day. So Natsu got to work bending the aluminum wire they purchased to create a strong armature.

"It'll have to be tack welded for security, but I can do that in a minute," Natsu said busily, his hands twisting wire and shaping the body of the puppet with expertise.

Lucy was almost in awe over how quickly the shape began to form right before her eyes.

"Or I could do it?" Lucy asked.

Natsu's attention lifted from the wire and his eyes glittered behind his goggles, considering her question.

"You want to learn how to weld?" He asked her, an eyebrow raising behind the glass of his goggles.

Shifting under the intensity of his gaze, she nodded.

"I mean I know it's probably stupid of me. But Mr. Dreyer said it was a collaboration, and if I learn your skill, maybe you can learn some of mine in this project?" Lucy rushed out at once, "Since isn't the goal to work together and become interdisciplinary artists?"

"It isn't really a collaboration if I watch you do all the work," She eyed him, suddenly feeling both shy and exposed for the simple question she posed between them.

Natsu was still staring at her as if she had grown a second head, and Lucy was beginning to think perhaps suggesting anything at all had been a bad idea.

"You're gonna suck, that's for sure," Natsu replied with a grin.

"But lets do it!" Natsu continued before he could completely crush Lucy's hopes, "You won't get good at it until you practice. So lets try it out!"

He pulled Lucy over towards him where he was standing behind the forming armature. Positioning her between himself and the frame, Lucy almost jumped out of her skin when she felt Natsu's arms circle around her.

His chin lifted somewhere over her shoulder, and she watched him lift a hand to his mouth, sharp teeth catching a his leather gloves and tugging them free. Lucy watched the motion with fascination and she swayed forward on the balls of her feet, cheek bumping against Natsu's.

Her heart skipped a beat in her chest.

How silly was this, freaking out like a school girl over some proximity to an attractive man?

Snapping out of it when Natsu's warm hands clasped over hers, leathers dropping into her palms as gruff fingertips caressed the tops of her hands. Natsu's hands were roughened and strong from hard labor. She could feel the power behind them, capable of bending steel and coaxing fire to his whims,

Sliding the gloves on, Lucy tried to concentrate on Natsu's instructions. He would be guiding her through the process. Welding was dangerous, and he wasn't going to throw her into it without any training.

Still, it was frustratingly distracting to her when Natsu started up the TIG torch and kevlar coated hands began to lead her through the steps. He told her about the electrode, the head required to melt the small point of connection between the thin wire. Telling when aluminum was hot was the hardest part Lucy found, because it didn't change colors.

After a while when Natsu had determined she had a handle on it, he left her to do it by herself, his hands skating away so he could inventory the rest of their supplies.

So by the time she was done, welding goggles pushed up on her face, a tangle of twisted metal and ugly welds was what they had to show for it.

Guilt warred through her at the sight of the tangled mess of the armature she had made. It seemed like somewhere along the way, she hadn't moved fast enough with her welds, and the distribution of heat had caused the metal to warp. It was something Natsu had warned her about, but to see that her negligence had turned their project into a coiled lump of metal…

…She felt terrible.

Natsu inspected the piece with dark eyes and curiosity, his arms crossed over a broad chest and his hand cupping his chin as he probably contemplated the horrible mess his partner had created. No doubt, the Salamander was regretting his decision in picking Lucy for the challenges.

"Natsu, I'm sorr–" she tried, but her apology went ignored.

"It looks like a dragon!" Natsu said loudly in excitement, talking over her apology before she could finish.

Lucy almost reeled back under the force of the wide grin he flashed in her direction. She would be lying if her guilt didn't lesson under the force of that charming smile.

Her heart skipped a beat.

"Great job Lucy," Natsu's dark eyes glittered as he tugged at some loose wires and clipped them off, "TIG welding is really hard! You made something awesome though, that's incredible!"

Lucy blinked at the sketch of their original design, completely different from what they had ended up with.

"But… It doesn't look like anything we planned for?" Lucy looked at their limited materials and then back at their misshapen armature. She supposed it looked a little like a dragon, although she wondered where Natsu saw it, "We're not going to have enough materials to make this work."

Natsu didn't seem bothered by this. His smile only seemed to grow, his hand lifting through the air to encourage a high five from her. Confused, Lucy slapped her palm against his, the clap from their joined hands ringing through the studio.

"We'll improvise," Natsu's grin went even wider, "I like this idea better anyway."

He punched his fists through the air, raising both arms over his head.

_"__Alright! I'm all fired up now!"_

Lucy couldn't help but smile at him, something about his happy mood catching onto her. His optimism sank into her, warming her from the inside out.

"Alright! Lets do this!"

-::-

Special thanks to Lonestorm for helping me come up with the puppet war. Hahaha. It was sparked from a fit I had at work a while ago. Hahahaha. Also please excuse the shitastic drawings. I wasn't feeling well, so at one point they just became scribbles basically.


End file.
